The domestic cat serves as a valuable animal model in many biomedical fields including genetic, neural, ophthalmic, and metabolic research. However, controlled laboratory breeding of feline models is often unsuccessful, which is, in part, due to a paucity of information on the basic behavioral-reproductive patterns of cats maintained under laboratory conditions. The overall goal of this project is a series of comprehensive investigations concerning definition of ovarian, behavioral, and endocrine relationships in the domestic cat during prepuberty, estrus, pseudopregnancy, pregnancy, parturition, and the postpartum interval. To date, these correlates have been completely established for the estrous and pseudopregnancy intervals and are approaching completion for characterization of the pregnancy and parturition stages of reproduction. Baseline information obtained is being applied successfully to improve reproductive efficiency and breeding management within feline breeding colonies at NIH.